About 1:30 p.m., a Los Angeles County firefighter drove by Murdoch’s property and noticed a portion of his vineyards on fire with gray smoke filling the air. He quickly radioed in to other firefighters who within minutes showed up and pried open the gate. Six firefighters rushed in to assess whether to fight the flames, burning on a slope, from below or above.

They decided it wasn’t possible to do so from the bottom. By 2 p.m., three helicopter water drops had been made on the portion of the vineyard that was on fire. Still, smoke rose in the air.

Murdoch released a statement Wednesday saying television footage showed there may be damage to some buildings in the upper vineyard area, but the house and the winery appear to be intact.

As much as I despise Murdoch and his minions and entire organization, as one who lives in the area and is experiencing these fires firsthand I do not celebrate the loss of property or life. It does none of us any good to cheer for this.